(Rochester, NY)… The Rochester Knighthawks will conclude their season this weekend with a home-and-home series against the Georgia Swarm. The first matchup is set for Saturday, April 18, at 4 p.m. at Gas South Arena, while the finale is a 3 p.m. Sunday matinee contest at The Blue Cross Arena.
The Knighthawks’ road game in Georgia will be broadcast live on CW Rochester. The game will be available to Spectrum cable subscribers on channel 16, DirecTV customers on channel 14, and over-the-air on channel 13.2. Fans can head to The Distillery location in Henrietta (3010 S. Winton Rd.) for the official Viewing Party. Fans can win prizes and meet the team’s mascot, Chopper.
The Knighthawks (6-10) enter the two-game set after falling 12-6 to the Buffalo Bandits at KeyBank Center on April 11. Rochester was led by Ryan Lanchbury’s five-point performance (1+4) and Connor Fields’ four-assist effort. Blaze Riorden scored twice against his former team, while Ryan Smith scored his 200th career goal. Rylan Hartley played the full 60 minutes in net, making 42 saves on 53 shots. Rochester was eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday after San Diego defeated Georgia.
The Knighthawks have several players among the league’s top point producers. Fields is tied for fourth in points with 108, while he is tied for sixth with 39 goals. The reigning MVP is also tied for fifth with 69 assists and leads all forwards with 115 loose-ball recoveries. Lanchbury enters the contest tied for the league lead with 75 assists. He is also seventh in the league with 98 points.
The Swarm (10-6) fell out of third place and into sixth, following a 9-7 home setback to the San Diego Seals last Sunday afternoon. Georgia outscored San Diego 3-1 in the final quarter but fell just short. Kaleb Benedict (0+5) and Shayne Jackson (2+3) both collected five points, while Nolan Byrne scored three times in the loss. Goaltender of the Year contender Brett Dobson made 44 saves. The St. Bonaventure product leads the NLL with an incredible 7.94 goals-against average and is tied for the league lead with an .840 save percentage. Dobson played his college lacrosse under Knighthawks Interim Head Coach Randy Mearns.
The Swarm are led offensively by a pair of former NLL MVPs: Shayne Jackson and Lyle Thompson. Jackson leads the way with 69 points, while Thompson leads Georgia with 42 assists as part of a 66-point campaign. First-year pro Nolan Byrne has a team-leading 30 goals, along with 18 assists. He is third in goals and fourth in points among NLL rookies. Georgia also has two other players among the top rookies. Michael Grace is 10th with 14 points, while Kean Moon is 11th with 11.
On Sunday, the Knighthawks will host their annual Native American Heritage Game, presented by Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, when they battle the Georgia Swarm at 3 p.m. at Segar & Sciortino Field at The Blue Cross Arena. The first 750 fans will receive a pompom, and the first 1,500 will take home a team photo, courtesy of Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino. The event will feature an Artisan Village, dancers, specialty jerseys, and merchandise celebrating Native American Heritage.
The Knighthawks will wear one-of-a-kind jerseys and shorts, which will be auctioned off on DASH, a sport-focused online auction platform and partner of the Knighthawks, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Newtown Minor Lacrosse Association and the Allegany Arrows. The Knighthawks will also auction off the players’ warm-up T-shirts, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Salamanca Warriors Seneca Youth Dancers.
To access the auction, fans can visit www.rochesterknighthawks.com/auction or text “DASH” to 66866. Click the download link and install DASH on your mobile device. Fans can then create their own personal profile and select the Knighthawks as their favorite team to start bidding. The auction beings at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 15, and runs through Monday, April 20, at 10 a.m. Winners will be contacted directly.

